Celina ISD under scrutiny after coach faces charges for student photos
Celina ISD under scrutiny after coach faces charges
A former Celina ISD middle school coach faces felony charges after police found explicit images of students on his phone, following reports from student athletes about suspicious recording in the locker room.
CELINA, Texas - Caleb Elliott, a now-former teacher and football coach at Celina ISD’s Moore Middle School, faces felony charges. An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by FOX 4 on Thursday says Celina Police Department detectives found 12 images of groups of naked or half-naked students on Elliott’s phone.
The backstory:
On October 2nd, at least two student athletes reported to police that Elliott was recording or taking photographs of students in the locker room. Both students were forensically interviewed and, according to an arrest warrant, one claimed Elliott was, "constantly on his mobile device while in the locker room area and when he is holding his mobile device, he holds it near his waist in a horizontal manner. If another coach enters the locker room or is in the vicinity, the defendant will either place the mobile device in his armpit area or place it in one of his pockets."
The warrant goes on to say, "out of all coaches, this child thought it was odd as to how long the defendant stayed in the locker room compared to other coaches."
The photos were taken at different times between April and October.
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What we know:
Last week, the district hired a third-party attorney to review hiring practices, district operations and other related questions.
Some at Thursday’s special-called school board meeting had questions about whether there were any past incidents involving Elliott that may not have received proper attention.
What they're saying:
"Caleb Elliott broke the trust of every child in that locker room when he sexually exploited our boys," said a Celina ISD mother.
"We send our son to school and athletics every day trusting that he would be cared for, protected and safe, and that trust was broken," said another Celina ISD parent.
"The courage it took for our boys to come forward and speak the truth about what happened in the locker room, I want to begin by expressing deep gratitude to these young men for their bravery," said another Celina ISD parent in attendance.
Local perspective:
Caleb Elliott’s father, Bill Elliott, is Celina ISD’s athletic director and head high school football coach. He addressed the parents during the meeting.
"I want justice to be done, and justice will be done, O.K? Understand that. There’s one person to blame for all of this. One person," said Bill Elliott. "But you also need to know that I will always love my son. I will always, just like you love your kids no matter what. Unconditionally, I will love him."
Dig deeper:
One parent says Caleb Elliott was his son’s favorite coach. Now, in hindsight, that terrifies him.
"My wife had mentioned that she often sees him patting him on the head, patting him on the back, and I bring this up because predators make you trust them and that’s what they do," said Bruce, a parent of Celina ISD.
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Investigation leads to second arrest of Celina ISD teacher on child pornography charge
Celina ISD teacher and coach William Caleb Elliott has been arrested on a new, second-degree felony charge of possession or promotion of child pornography following an ongoing police investigation.
Big picture view:
In a letter to parents, Celina ISD says it retained an independent third-party attorney to review the matter.
The school district and police department have turned down my requests for interviews.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Celina ISD school board meeting on October 16, 2025.